On Violence

[John 6IX Breezy]

But A LOT of mainstream entertainment involves the depiction of violent killing as a source of aesthetic pleasure. 

Here's one reason why I think people like to watch violent television. And it is true of all fiction: It allows us to experience emotions at zero cost. We can experience tragedy, a romance, an adventure from a safe distance. And there is some utility in that. For example, a lot of women watch true crime documentaries, perhaps because it is the sort of thing women fear and are victims of. It functions as a sort of sandbox for the mind, a practice simulation.

Now, I don't know if TV violence universally desensitizes us to real life violence. At a personal level, it hasn't for me. I remember when I started a paramedic program right after high school, and we had to watch footage of real emergencies. The one I remember most was of a man that blew his face off with a shotgun. That was a very traumatic thing for me to watch at the time. And I'm sure everyone has stumbled upon images online they wish they hadn't, be it the bodies of the people that jumped on 9/11, or any other act of violence.

I think something in your brain knows when it is no longer just pretend. And when it realizes it's watching real violence, it no longer finds it as entertaining or enjoyable.